Alain Vigneault looks for 'difference makers'

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LOS ANGELES -- Alain Vigneault is looking for a few good men and the Vancouver Canucks' coach needs them to step forward in a hurry.

With the Canucks facing a must-win game tonight as they attempt to defy long odds and battle back from a 3-0 deficit in their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings, Vigneault issued a challenge to his team following Tuesday's practice in sunny southern California.

"Right now, we need a couple of difference-makers," Vigneault said. "I really liked the effort from our group the last two games, I really think we are playing the right way.

"We are competing really hard, but we need a couple of guys on the ice to step up and be the difference-makers. It's as simple as that."

Vigneault suggested that essentially is the difference in a series that has not been nearly as lopsided as the bottom line would suggest. He pointed to the fact that the Kings have had some of their players -- like Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick -- step forward and make a difference.

"Obviously, they have had a few of their key players make key contributions at different times and that is why they are up 3-0 right now," he said.

Maybe Daniel Sedin, who practised with the Canucks on Tuesday, can be one of those difference-makers. But that is asking a lot from a player who has not played a game in four weeks.

If he plays tonight, and all indications are he will, Daniel may be able to lend a hand on Vancouver's power play, which has gone 0-for-14 in the series. But if the Canucks are to bring this series back to Vancouver for Game 5 on Sunday night, others will have to step forward.

Guys like winger David Booth, one of a number of Canuck forwards who have been silent in this series. Booth skated Tuesday with the Sedins and is excited about possibly playing with them tonight.

"It is definitely exciting for me," Booth said. "I was pretty excited to go out there and skate with them, so hopefully it carries over to the game.

"I think I have to keep using my speed and maybe create some gap for them," Booth said. "They are so good at just protecting the puck and finding the open man. Their backhands are as good as their forehands, so if I just use my speed and get to the open ice, that's got to be my game."

Henrik likes to think that Booth can be a good fit with he and his brother, if Daniel plays.

"He is big, he is strong on the puck, he can take pucks to the net," Henrik said. "So it felt good in practice. We are trying something new. He is a good player, he has shown he can be really effective, so hopefully it's a good fit."

Vigneault would not commit to using that line tonight, but normally he does stick with the lines he used in practice the day before a game. On Tuesday, Alex Burrows and Mason Raymond were skating with centre Ryan Kesler, Chris Higgins rejoined Sammy Pahlsson and Jannik Hansen on the third line, while Manny Malhotra skated between Zack Kassian and Maxim Lapierre on the fourth line.

Higgins, like Booth, has not been able to get anything done offensively in this series.

"Offensively, obviously it hasn't been working for us in the series, but I think we worked well together as a line when we got put together at the end of the year," Higgins said. "We just need to try and plant a seed of doubt tomorrow night and then regroup and see where we're at in Vancouver."

After Tuesday's practice, held at the Kings' practice facility in El Segundo, Vigneault said he had decided who would start in goal tonight, but had not yet told Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. They were likely going to get the news Tuesday night, but the media probably won't find out until this morning's game-day skate at the Staples Center.

"I am going to play the goaltender that I think is going to give us the best chance to win," Vigneault said.

"We are both getting ready as though we are playing and I'm sure at some point tonight or tomorrow morning we will find out," Luongo said.

Schneider started Game 3 and surrendered one goal on 20 shots in a 1-0 Los Angeles win. Luongo allowed seven goals on 64 shots in Games 1 and 2.

Henrik Sedin suggested the Canucks are as confident a team down 3-0 in a playoff series can possibly be.

"We had a great day (off) yesterday with the team, as good as you can have when you are down 3-0," he said. "We know where we are, we are going to focus on tomorrow here and if we can get one win we can bring it back to Vancouver and see what happens."

Only three NHL teams have come back to win a playoff series after being down 3-0 --the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942 versus Detroit, the New York Islanders against Pittsburgh in 1975 and the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 over Boston.

"We'd rather be up 3-0 than down 3-0, but that's how it is," Henrik said. "Like you said, there have not been a whole lot of teams that have been able to come back (from 3-0). If there is a team that I have been on that might be capable of it, it's this team. We have a great team in here, we have shown in the past two years we can string some wins together. So we feel comfortable going into tomorrow."

bziemer@vancouversun.com

twitter.com/bradziemer

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